This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
On October 12, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge embarked on a historic attempt to run a marathon under two hours at the Prater Park in Vienna, Austria, as part of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.
Assisted by a group of seven pacesetters, including former Olympic champion Bernard Lagat, Kipchoge was sandwiched between the pack in a 'V' formation to maintain pace and protect him from wind.
Ahead of the pack, a zero-emission Audi E-tron car beamed green laser lights onto the tarmac to guide the runners to stick to the agreed pace of two minutes and 50 seconds per kilometre.
With each runner equipped with a chip in their shoe and the car's cruise control facility, organisers also deployed transponders at every kilometre to ensure the correct pace was maintained, with a back-up car at the ready.
According to the race organisers, Kipchoge was within target after a good pace in the opening five kilometres, with a time of 14:10 and a projected time of 01:59:50.
After the first 10km, Kipchoge was doing better than his first attempt in 2017 in Monza, Italy, with a time of 28:20, one second quicker than his previous attempt.
As Kipchoge continued to hit his marks with military precision, organisers remained confident that he could reach the target 1:59, despite the need for no errors.
